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Are you a Harry Potter fan visiting London soon? You’ve come to the right place!
Visiting the Harry Potter Studios in London is a must do for all Muggles out there!
Located in Watford, the Warner Bros Studios The Making of Harry Potter is home to most of the sets used in the movies and offers a magical tour. You will discover everything from the props to the creatures!
Visiting the studios requires a bit of a planning. It’s a very popular attractions and it can get busy. In this article, we tell you everything you need to know to plan your visit at Harry Potter World London.
What are the Warner Bros Studios in London?
The Harry Potter Studios in London are the place where most of the movies were filmed.
If you’ve been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando or California, you will quickly see that it’s not comparable at all.
The Warner Bros Studios aren’t a theme park but almost a Harry Potter museum!
The Making of Harry Potter tour has been specifically designed to show you how the movies were made from A to Z.
It’s extremely informative while very entertaining.
How much are tickets to Harry Potter Studios London?
There are 2 ways you can get a ticket for the Harry Potter Studios.
Book a tour ticket with transportation
It takes a couple of hours to get to the studios (more on that later) so booking a combo ticket with both transportation and studios tour is a great way to optimise your time and save money.
The tour starts at Victoria Station, in central London. You will meet with the group and go to the studios directly (by bus).
Once you get there, you will enter the studios very quickly as the tour includes a skip-the-line ticket and start your visit.
You will be spending 4 hours in the studios and then take the bus back to Victoria Station.
All together, the tour lasts 8 hours.
You can keep your ticket on your phone. It will be scanned at the meeting point. Simple and easy.
It’s also worth mentioning that these tickets are also available at the last minute which is rarely the case if you book through the studios directly.
Book direct on Warner Bros website
You can buy your tickets directly through the official website. The prices start at £47 for adults and £38 for children. You can also buy extras and take the gift option.
If you buy a ticket for yourself, you will need to pick a date and a time.
Gift tickets do not require a date. They are valid for a year and can be sent directly to the person of your choice. Once they get their ticket, they can call the studios directly to book their tour.
It’s best to plan your visit a couple of months in advance. The Harry Potter studios are a very popular attraction in London and can be fully booked very quickly.
To ensure you get the day and time of your choice we’d recommend you to book at least 2 months in advance, especially if you are visiting in December. Hogwarts in the snow is even more popular!
If you can’t plan that much in advance, opt for the tour with the transfer. Prices here.
READ MORE: 23 Festive Things to do for Christmas in London
Tips to book tickets for Harry Potter Studios
Here are a few tips and tricks to book your Harry Potter tickets.
Book the first slot available
When you buy your ticket, you will be asked to choose a time slot but in reality you can stay as long as you want at the studios.
The average visit lasts between 3 and 4 hours but if you want to stay until 10PM, you are more than welcome to do so.
To make sure you will have enough time ahead of you, make sure to book the first slot available.
This is particularly relevant if you book direct but also recommended if you book the tour.
Book in advance or opt for the tour with transfer
Tickets sell out incredibly fast for the studios (especially the ones with the best time slots). No matter what, book as much in advance as you can!
If you are thinking of booking at the last minute and don’t find any tickets on the official website, opt for the tour. Prices here.
Because the tour includes both tickets and transport, it actually doesn’t work out more expensive. In certain cases, it even works out cheaper.
Where are the Harry Potter Studios in London?
Warner Bros Studios are located in Watford, North London (Zone 8).
How to get to the Harry Potter Studios
With a tour
If you’ve booked a tour including tickets and transportation, the company will bring you directly from London Central to the entrance of the studios by bus.
It’s super easy, you don’t have to worry about a thing! You just book your ticket online, show it to the guide in London and they will take care of everything from there.
With London Public Transport
If you’ve booked your ticket directly with the studios, you will need to make your way to the studios on your own.
It is entirely possible, there are just more steps to get there. You can use your Oyster card (or contactless card) to get there however, please note that the fares are quite high as Watford is in Zone 7.
From Central London, take a train or Overground (orange line) to Watford Junction.
It will take between 20 and 30 mins from London Euston. It is much quicker to take the train but you need to buy a ticket separately for that and it won’t count towards your capping allowance on the tube. See prices here.
Once you arrive at Watford Junction, just walk out of the station and you will see the Harry Potter shuttle bus (hard to miss).
The shuttle is almost always there but if not, you can go to the bus stop, first one across the carpark.
The shuttle bus is free as long as you have a booking for the studios. Make sure to have it handy because you will need to show it before boarding.
It will bring you straight to the entrance of the studios. Very convenient! From there, you need to head to the reception desk, they will exchange your ticket and you can finally start your Harry Potter Studio tour in London!
What can you see at the Harry Potter Studios?
It starts with a presentation of the main people who worked on the movies.
This includes directors, producers, artistic directors, costume makers, special effects, construction directors, animal trainers… Thousands of people were working on the movies.
The HarryPotter films are a masterpiece of innovation and creativity. HP required the best people in all areas and that exactly what Harry Potter got!
The tour takes you behind the scenes and it’s pretty incredible! As a matter of fact, I would even say that it is the ultimate Harry Potter experience!
Each section has screens with videos of people who worked on the movie, explaining what they did and how they did it.
You can see how they trained the owls, how they used prosthetic makeup to create a Goblin, how they created Dobby with special effects, how they created the illusions of magic with green screens…
You will also get to see the main costumes and some mythical creatures like BuckBeak.
Everything has been created in a very interactive way so you can play with the sets. You will find buttons everywhere that will create illusions like the pan washing itself in the Winsley house.
Also, you will be given a Harry Potter passport at the entrance and can fill it out with stamps. The stamps are located all around the studios and it’s good fun to look for them.
Best photo spots at the Harry Potter Studios
Entrance
Entrance door to the Great Hall
The Great Hall
Platform 9 3/4
Hogwarts Express
Forbidden Forest
Knight Bus
Privet Drive & Dursleys’ house
FAQs about the Harry Potter Studios in London
How long do you need at Harry Potter Studios?
On average, visitors spend 3 hours in the studio. However, as previously mentioned, you can stay as long as you want.
This is your chance to discover Harry Potter world in London and you should take full advantage of it! If you want to dive into each section and look at everything, 5 or 6 hours will be a better time to stay in.
What are the facilities like?
Warner Bros studios offer a free cloakroom. Located right at the entrance on your left, you can leave your bag into a secured box for free.
Just show your ticket and you will be given a cloakroom ticket for pick up. In the entrance hall, you will find restaurants and bars, the Harry Potter shop, an audio guide desk and bathrooms.
The tour finishes in the shop so don’t worry if you don’t have time to go through the shop when you get there, you will get to go back after the tour.
Once you start the tour, you will go through all the sets and find a restaurant halfway through. Prices are “reasonable” for this kind of attraction.
For example, a burger with fries will cost £9 and a sandwich about £5. This is the only place where you will get to try butterbeer! (small glass for £3.75).
The restaurant is located by an outside area with the sets of the knight bus and the Dudley’s house.
Tip: As you are free to stay as long as you want, the best time to book your tour is in the morning (up until 11 am). It will be less crowded than in the afternoon which will be a way better experience. Also, you can stay the whole day if you wish to.
How do I pick my tickets up?
If you’ve opted for the tour with transfer, your guide will look after everything. You won’t have to worry about a thing when you get to the studios.
Just make sure you have your booking confirmation on your phone when you meet up with your guide at Victoria Station. Everything will be sent to you when you book.
If you booked through the WB website, you can simply show the email on your phone when you get to the entrance.
If you have gift voucher though, you will need to go to the ticket collection desk when you arrive at the studios.
You will need to show the email confirmation (on your phone or printed) and the ID of the person on the ticket (yours if you booked for yourself or one of the people you offered to if it was a gift ticket).
They will give you your entrance ticket. You can then go towards the entrance, located just behind. They will scan your ticket and proceed to some security and bag checks.
Is there a Harry Potter theme park in London?
London is home to the Warner Bros Studios, known as the Making of Harry Potter. These are the studios were Harry Potter were filmed. Although they are entertaining, they can’t quite be called a theme park.
If you are looking for a Harry Potter theme park, you should consider visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal Studios in the USA and Japan.
Are there any rides at Harry Potter studios?
There are no rides at the Harry Potter studios in London. The studios showcase the filming locations, props, sets and how the movies were filmed.
Although they have been set up in a very entertaining way, they aren’t a theme park and therefore there are no rides.
That said, for an extra cost, you can ride a quidditch broom.
You may also be interested:
- Harry Potter Things to do in London
- 21 Magical Harry Potter Places in the World That You Must Visit
- Guide to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the USA
- Harry Potter in Edinburgh
- London 2-day itinerary: Exactly How To Spend 2 Days in London
- The Ultimate 1 Day in London Itinerary: exactly how to spend one day in London
